Registration is open for Horizons’ 2019 pilgrimage

CHICAGO — Experience the universal Catholic Church — both East and West — at its very heart, with Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma, on Horizons’ 2019 pilgrimage to Rome in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Eparchy of Parma.

The May 13-22 pilgrimage will highlight the Byzantine Catholic aspects of Rome, often unseen on usual tours of the Eternal City.

Pilgrims will leave the United States May 13. Landing in Rome the next morning, pilgrims will begin at the Basilica of San Clemente, an ancient church, where they will venerate the relics of St. Cyril, who with his brother, St. Methodius, are known as the Apostles to the Slavs. Mandated by the ninth-century Byzantine Emperor Michael III, the two brothers from Greece went on a mission to preach the Gospel to the Slavic people. They eventually made their way to Rome, where St. Cyril died and was buried.

Other Byzantine Catholic aspects to the trip include a visit to the Greek Catholic Monastery at Grottaferrata in the region of the Roman Castles, south of Rome. Most of the Slavonic prayer books used in the eparchy in the last century came from the printing press of this monastery. The day trip to this region will include an exclusive, private visit to the Vatican Observatory, not usually open to the public, at Castelgandolfo.

Pilgrims will celebrate Divine Liturgy at the Church of San Antonio Abate, the parish church of the Pontifical College “Russicum.” The college boasts many Ruthenians among its alumni, particularly Blessed Theodore Romzha, a 20th-century bishop martyred by the communists. He lived at the college as a student in Rome and was ordained a priest at the church. They will also visit the Pontifical Oriental Institute, which is the only pontifical university dedicated exclusively to the study of Eastern Christian theology in the world. Pilgrims will also pray at the historic Greek Catholic Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a Melkite church, which from antiquity until the present day has served the Greek community in Rome.

Major trip highlights include praying with Pope Francis at his General Audience, and visiting the Vatican Museums, the four major basilicas of Rome, including St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, the Forum, and the medieval Byzantine-style churches of Santa Prassede and Santa Maria in Trastevere. The tour includes free time to explore the quiet side streets of Rome on their own or hop on a bus for the optional side pilgrimage to Assisi, where St. Francis lived and inspired a spiritual renewal in the church.

And there’s more! Please refer to the pilgrimage brochure at
www.parma.org/romepilgrimage for more of the site visits included in the pilgrim package, email horizons@parma.org or call (216) 470-3287. The cost is $3,725 per pilgrim.

Caption: Pilgrims will attend a General Audience with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square during the Horizons’ pilgrimage to Rome in celebration of Parma’s golden jubilee. (CNS Photo/Paul Haring)